Falcons quite literally shock the football world with Michael Penix selection
Just about every first-round quarterback dot had been connected — except Penix to the Falcons. A secret so tightly guarded not even Kirk Cousins knew until the Falcons were on the clock, Penix arrives in Atlanta with the force of a sonic boom. But therein lies the problem. The pick is all sound and fury. That’s because Cousins’ deal is guaranteed for the next two seasons, meaning the most likely outcome is 24-year-old Penix not starting a game until he’s 26. Even if it comes at No. 8 overall, that’s a rough outcome for a man who spent six years in school and tore two ACLs in the process. Penix can’t play, Cousins can’t relax, and the Falcons can’t deploy their first-round pick in 2024. “Puzzling” doesn’t begin to do it justice.
Bears attempt to end decades-long franchise quarterback drought
If Penix was the ultimate script deviation, Caleb Williams was the well-planned climax. Williams as the No. 1 overall pick was two years in the making, but for the Bears it was decades in the making. No franchise has had a more difficult time finding a franchise quarterback, whether it was Joe Biden or Dwight Eisenhower in the White House. Williams will attempt to solve the riddle with an uncommonly good rookie supporting cast. The 22-year-old just needs to average 226 yards per game to set the Bears’ single-season passing record. That realistic goal was made even more achievable by what the Bears did at No. 9 overall.
Bears nab deep threat Rome Odunze to pair with DJ Moore and Keenan Allen
Williams was going to throw for a ton of yards no matter who was in the receiver corps. This was never going to be a Bryce Young-type situation. But having this supporting cast makes it a hell of a lot easier. With deep man Odunze joining slot dynamo Allen and all-around threat Moore, Williams is in a situation where his No. 3 would often be a rookie’s No. 1. Throw in red-zone rim finisher Cole Kmet, and Williams could not have really asked for more as he makes the transition to the big leagues.
Commanders shoot for the moon with Jayden Daniels
What you’re getting with Daniels is everything. Throwing, running. Upside, downside. “Wow” plays and “uhhh” plays. Already 23 years old, Daniels doesn’t have much time to develop after it took him an eternity to do so in the NCAA. But once he did, he won the Heisman Trophy. Capable of keeping defenses at bay with both his legs and deep passing, Daniels does have the tools to buy himself some time as he continues to learn the finer points of football, such as occasionally completing a pass over the middle of the field. The upshot for fantasy managers is that his dual-threat doesn’t even make it particularly urgent he does so as a rookie. He just needs to stay on the field, which will mean avoiding more of the monster hits he seemed to accept as a weekly fact of SEC life.
Patriots make second attempt to move on from Tom Brady
A more sensible combination of upside and floor than either Jayden Daniels or J.J. McCarthy, Drake Maye does come with plenty of risks. Eager to be compared to Josh Allen — a little too eager in Bill Belichick’s opinion — Maye has Allen’s appetite for throwing deep. He also offers Allen’s dual-threat, if not his genuine game-breaking ability on the ground. There will be groans and growing pains, especially with Maye’s undermanned supporting cast, but he is an intriguing mixture of traditional frame (6’4/223) and modern big-play ability.
Cardinals don’t get cute, make MHJ WR1
Probably the best receiver prospect since Amari Cooper and maybe even A.J. Green, Marvin Harrison Jr. was the first non-quarterback off the board. He represents something of a last chance for Kyler Murray, who has never really hurt for receiver talent but hasn’t always known what to do with it. A down-field dominator, Harrison could be the long-sought skeleton key to Murray’s deep game. Facing very little target competition, Harrison is an instant WR2 who could threaten for immediate WR1 status.
Giants pounce on Malik Nabers after Chargers pass
The likely WR1 in 4-of-5 receiver classes, Nabers happened to arrive in a Marvin Harrison Jr. leap year. Whereas Harrison is more renowned for his deep work, Nabers is the ultimate YAC man. That makes him the perfect fit for a weapons-starved offense that will be making do with either Daniel Jones or Drew Lock under center. Coach Brian Daboll can scheme up manufactured touches. He will have no issue doing so with Nabers, who might be the odds-on favorite to be this year’s top rookie receiving contributor.
J.J. McCarthy makes it to Minnesota
The route was a little more direct than expected — the Vikes only had to trade up one spot instead of eight — but the landing spot was as many expected. Now we will try to find out where the quarterback ends and the system begins. McCarthy is going from Jim Harbaugh’s run-obsessed offense to Kevin O’Connell’s “throw first, think later” attack. The approaches could not be more different. Thankfully the supporting cast is similarly elite, only this time primed to throw instead of pounding the rock. McCarthy’s nature vs. O’Connell’s nurture will be one of 2024’s most fascinating storylines.
Bo Nix arrives in Denver as a Sean Payton kind of guy
This one felt almost too obvious to happen. Ludicrously efficient with a single-minded focus on getting the ball out quickly, Nix profiles as a glove fit for Payton’s short-passing game. There are just questions about everything else. Nix is undoubtedly a capable system quarterback. But is that his floor or ceiling? Considering the Broncos’ shaky supporting cast, we are going to find out quickly this fall.
Brock Bowers lands in glutted Raiders receiver room
It’s not just Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers — it’s fellow early-round TE Michael Mayer, too. That, coupled with conservative head coach Antonio Pierce and limited QB Garnder Minshew makes Vegas as close to a nightmare landing spot as Bowers was going to get. Like, say, Jaxon Smith-Njigba last season, the target competition is going to make it difficult for Bowers to thrive in fantasy even if he’s an impressive rookie. No elite prospect took a bigger landing spot hit on Thursday evening.
Brian Thomas Jr. arrives in Jacksonville ready to overlap with Gabe Davis
Or maybe “complement” is the better word. A truly special college deep threat, Thomas is hoping to at the very least clear out space over the middle of the field for a Jags passing attack that went a little off the rails in 2023. It’s a role for which he — and Davis — are much better suited than route tactician Calvin Ridley, but without Ridley around, the Jags have “just” Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Evan Engram to take advantage. Thomas has a sky high ceiling — the young man scored on 17-of-68 catches last season — but his rookie impact will probably be more about the opportunities he creates for other players.
Chiefs finally, finally, finally take a first-round receiver
And it was blinding deep threat Xavier Worthy. Whereas Worthy might have been a featherweight, one-trick-pony in the wrong landing spot, he has landed in the perfect place from both a scheme and “available targets” perspective. That’s if he can stay on the field, which is difficult for anyone in the NFL at Worthy’s listed weight of 165. You don’t want to weigh down someone with Worthy’s 4.21 speed, but some semblance of balance needs to be in order for 2024. Whatever real life miracles Worthy helps work for this undermanned group, it might be too inconsistent for fantasy managers to rely on him as a top-30 receiver in an offense that also includes Travis Kelce, Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown.
Kyle Shanahan selects Ricky Pearsall amidst Brandon Aiyuk uncertainty
Elderly (24 in September) for a rookie with underwhelming college production for a first-round wideout, Pearsall is not a YAC man like fellow 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel but more of a catch-and-fall specialist in the short-to-intermediate parts of the field. That was a rare missing element for the 49ers’ 2023 offense, but probably not one that was demanding a first-round trade up. Fantasy managers shouldn’t write off any Shanny pass catchers, but Pearsall seems unlikely to be a rookie stud even if Aiyuk or Samuel is shipped out via trade on Friday.
Panthers make Xavier Legette final pick of Round 1
So overwhelmingly desperate to improve Bryce Young’s supporting cast that they traded back into the first round, the Panthers were also desperate enough to take a chance on a late-career breakout — we are talking late — who profiles as something of a one-trick boundary pony. That’s the area of the field where Young seems least likely to improve in 2024, but we suppose fair play on trying to make the team better. The odds Legette makes a rookie impact in a crowded offense adjusting to a new offensive coordinator are slim.
